Films: O. Henry and Holiday Celebration — THE CHAPARRAL PRINCE (1982) and ROCKING POPONGUINE (1994)

THE CHAPARRAL PRINCE, color, 19 minutes. Directed by Mark Cullingham, 1982. Starring John Shea, Maurice Copeland, Grayson Hall, Tamara Jones. Based on the short story by O. Henry.

In this "Cinderella" story set in the West, frail Lena is oppressed by her employer, the wicked innkeeper. She tries to escape her plight by reading fairy tales about princes who rescue damsels in distress. When she decides to run away, her letter home is intercepted by a band of robbers. Their roguish leader, Hondo Bill, becomes the unlikely prince of Lena's dreams.

ROCKING POPONGUINE, color, 90 minutes. Directed by Moussa Sene Absa, 1994. In French with English subtitles. Starring Coura Ba, Ousmane Bo, Jean-François Belmar, Ishmaïl Thiam.

A comedy set during the last week before Christmas, 1964, in a remote Senegalese beachside village, where the local teenagers are divided into rival cultural camps.

ADMISSION FREE